Ghost of his downfall
by rosewitchviablood
Summary: Arthur discovered Merlin's magic and acted just like his father. This is the story of his and Camelot downfall.


Ghost of his actions

"Sire Morgana's forces have been spotted in the valley of the fallen kings, they will be in Camelot in only a matter of days." Sire Leon addressed the figure sitting on the lone throne in the shadowed room.

"Have the knights prepare for the battle then," King Arthur replied. His voice echoing in the vast room.

Leons brow frowned at the order, "but Sire we do not have enough men to fight against them, it would be suicidal to fight…"

King Arthur interrupted him, " do as I say," "but sire" " **do as I have commanded** , Sire Leon." He made sure to emphasize the knights rank, to show him his place.

Leon clenched his hands so tightly that they soon lost color. "You lost Percival because you pushed him into a battle that it was clear that you would not win,like this one."

The King replied evenly, "He served as a loyal Knight of Camelot to the end."

"You caused his end to soon," and with that Leon turned and left the throne room.

"You didn't have to yell at him," a voice chastised the king.

"He was taking back to his King," Arthur replied back sounding annoyed at the voice telling him how to address his knights.

"Well it gives you no right to act like a prat," the voice revealed to come from a young man with large ears and blue eyes.

"Enough, he is my knight and I will speak to him as I see fit Merlin," Arthur snapped at the boy.

"If you keep treating him and the other knights like that, they will leave you." Merlin said with a trace of sadness in his tone, for he did not want the King to be alone.

"They will not leave, they are loyal to me and to Camelot." Arthur said with no uncertainty.

"Gwen was loyal," Merlin said sounding mournful, "so was Giaus and the rest of the knights of the round table."

"Do not mention those **traitors** to me,"Arthur yelled at him. "I gave them chances for redemption but they did not take them."

"Because you did not listen to them and not one of them betrayed you."

"Really," Arthur jumped up from his throne and began to stalk the room and his voice rose in frustration as he portray his reasons. "Then what do you call my wife leaving me and taking one of my knights with her."

"You had started to grown to angry to reason with and to possessive of her, she had to leave for her own sake. And of course Elyan would of gone with her, she is his sister and family comes before loyalty to the crown. There is also the fact that she is a target of Morgana, he had to go with her, to protect her."

"She is my wife I would've protected her," at that Merlin cut Arthur off. "But who would have protected her from you."

Arthur looked away from the form of his manservant and said in a whisper, "I never would've harm her."

"You already did," he answered back, "you took away her friends."

Arthur's face reddened in anger, "her friends were plotting to destroy me and Camelot."

Merlin finally had lost all its patience and calm and began to yell at the king. "Gwaine had the right to decide if you were worthy serving and in the end you weren't. You had no right to execute him."

"That druken bastard tried to kill me."

"You deserved it after what you did to Giaus."

Arthur actually flinched back at the name of the man who he had known and trusted since he was a babe. "Giaus knew his crimes has consequences, he deserved his punishment and I did show him mercy."

"Mercy, **Mercy!** " Merlin's voice boomed. "You put him in a dungeon and left him there to die."

"That is not true, I….."

"He was an old man! Those conditions would of maybe lasted on someone younger but no you king Arthur," Merlin spat out his name, "Sentenced him to a slow and painful death."

Arthur felt his resolve break and whispered, " I did what I thought was best." "Best for who?"

"And what about you." Arthur said after a long spell of silence between them. " You have been telling me about my wrongs doings of late. Why have you not mentioned what I did to you."

" I have already forgiven you."

The king laughed mirthlessly, "always the self sacrificer Merlin and the liar."

" I am not lying to you Arthur." Merlin pleaded for Arthur to believe him.

"Really then you forgive me for killing your friends, your mentor and the people of your kind." Arthur began to back up the lanky boy to the wall and said right as he looked in his eyes, " you forgive me for letting you burn."

In the warlock's eyes Arthur could see the day everything was destroyed. The skinny figure bound tightly to the post with iron manacles to block him from his magic. The way the flames started to devour the body, working there way up agonizing slow. Finally he can remember Merlin's screams of pain, how they rattled the castle in such agony and made a small part of me weep in anguish. But when i last meet his eyes and saw fear and sadness, all i could show was satisfaction for putting him there.

Arthur saw the look in Merlin's haunted eyes as he to remembered his death and whispered, " I thought so."

"That no longer matters," Merlin said, " The past is in the past and now there is only the future left."

Arthur laughed at that response, "what future is there for a dead man Merlin."

"One where they can help those of the living, to correct their own mistakes. But it no longer matters."

Merlin then disappeared and reappeared at the window. Arthur turned to look at his demon and asked why.

"Because in the end your mistakes have left no room to be fixed. You have lost everything and everyone you cared about."

Arthur looked uneasy at Merlin's giving up. " Camelot still stands and I am still king. I have not lost everything." He said determinedly.

Merlin continued to look out the window to the distance, Arthur turned to look out as well and saw the same sight. An army full of menacing figures in black armor riding straight to camelot, Morgana in the middle, leading them.

"She can not be here so soon, we are not ready." Arthur whispered and a sense of hopelessness grabbed his heart. He turned and run to the door and yelled at the guards to warn the knights that war has started. Then he turned to the ghost in the room and asked, "what do we do?"

Merlin looked at him sadly and said, " we both know that there is nothing that you can do now. Camelot will fall, along with you."

Arthur drooped to his knees as he finally understood the truth, that his actions have caused this to happen, that he made his own downfall. " So that's it then, this is how my legend will grow. Mad King Arthur and the servant he killed."

'It wasn't supposed to be this way," Merlin said as he drooped to his knees in front of the fallen king.

A commotion could be heard from the courtyard. The war had started and already screams of dying people filled the air. Arthur barely registered this as he looked to the doors of the throne room. Waiting for his destiny to finally end and hope that his death would be enough to pay for all his sins.

"For the love of Camelot," he whispered and then turn to look at the sad ghost of his once best friend, the man he murdered and said his last words.

"I'm sorry."

Morgana stormed the throne room to find her half brother alone and on his knees. " So king Arthur you have finally given up." Arthur still did not move and Morgana glared at him for not responding to her. "Your death will give me the great satisfaction of finally removing the Pendragon men from the throne."

Morgana then spotted excalibur by the throne and smirked, "goodbye brother dear." Her eyes glowed gold as she used her magic to cut her brother down with his own sword.

"Long live the Queen." She shouted in satisfaction as her army roared in approval. Finally Morgana Le fay ruled Camelot and King Arthur was dead. It was the beginning of a new reign, one full blood and darkness.

Epilogue

King Arthur awoke to find himself in Avalon. And soon he saw Merlin with his arms opened wide to welcome him. At last he found peace.

The End


End file.
